Paint it Red: History made real, brutally honest

David Logan recalls the words of E.L. Rogers, the
editor of Springfield's black newspaper, The Forum, in 1908:

"He said, 'You can either make history, or
you can paint it red.' Make it or make it glaring."

That's what Logan, an assistant professor at
Benedictine University-Springfield College, intends to do with Paint it Red, an upcoming
production featuring monologues from historical figures involved in the
1908 Springfield Race Riots.

Logan, who co-authored the production with colleague
Judi O'Brien Anderson, partnered with the City of Springfield's
1908 Race Riots Commemoration Commission and the Citizen's Club to
blend historical accounts and narrative so audiences can experience the
city's climate before and after the riots.

Most of its language comes directly from figures like
Joe James, the black man accused of murdering Clergy Ballard, and Sarah
Donnegan, widow of the slain William Donnegan, and will be "brutally
honest."

"If they said it, we didn't change it,
because that would be whitewashing history," Logan says. "The
idea here is not to make history something soft and easy to swallow, but to
make it very real and honest."

Logan also wrote narrative for the Citizen's
Club mock trial of Abraham Raymer in August. While its goal was to provoke
thought, Logan hopes Paint it Red will illicit emotions in a way only theater can.

"It's a very accessible approach,"
Logan explains. "You don't have to read through scholarly text,
you can experience it. When you read something, it touches some people, but
when you experience something, it strikes at the emotions.

"We're bringing history to people. All we
ask of you is that you come to the theater, and we'll do the
work."

Paint it Red begins
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 S.
Sixth Street.

Performances are free to the public, but donations to
the Year of Reconciliation Scholarship will be accepted. –Amanda
Robert